Saying this year's UEFA Champions League has been exciting is an understatement. So many great matches, goals, and hat tricks. This article will show some of the best moments from the UEFA Champions league this season, specifically goals and great individual performances. So let's start.
Zeno Debast’s 30 yard screamer vs Lille
In matchweek 1, Sporting CP from Portugal, and LOSC Lille from France matched up in the UEFA Champions League. Sporting took the lead in the 38th minute from a beautiful spin and shoot from Viktor Gyökeres.
And then, in the 68th minute, after Sporting had continued piling on the pressure, Center Back Zeno Debast unleashed an absolute rocket into the top left corner of the net to make it 2-0 to Sporting. He scored from 30 yards out.
The match ended in a comfortable 2-0 win for Sporting CP.
Real Madrid’s Comeback vs. Borussia Dortmund & Vinícius Júnior’s Hat Trick
A highly anticipated match occurred on matchweek 3 of the Champions League, Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid. It was a rematch of the previous year's UEFA Champions League final, which ended in a 2-0 win for Real Madrid. Expectations were set high for the match, and it definitely delivered.
In the 30th minute Dortmund’s Donyell Malen received a small pass behind the Real Madrid defense from Serhou Guirassy. He smashes it into the back of the net, 1-0 Dortmund.
And then, just 3 minutes later, Dortmund’s Jamie Bynoe-Gittens receives an incredible pass from Donyell Malen which sets him up brilliantly for a tap-in. He finishes it and it’s 2-0 to Dortmund.
At half time, Dortmund are 2-0 up, and it's looking like the perfect revenge on the team that crushed their Champions League winning dreams. However, Real Madrid are not finished yet.
In the 60th minute during the second half, Madrid striker Kylian Mbappé is forced out wide by Dortmund defenders. He does brilliantly to get a great cross in for Antonio Rüdiger to head home the cross and reduce the deficit by one.
Then, just over a minute after Rüdigers goal, Luka Modrić slips in a ball behind for Kylian Mbappé. The Frenchman slides it to Brazilian winger Vinícius Júnior, who taps it into an empty net. All of a sudden, it's 2-2 at the Bernabeu in Madrid.
20 Minutes later, Real Madrid’s Lucas Vázquez slips behind 3 Dortmund defenders after a deflection off one of them. He goes towards goal and fires it into the top left corner from short range.
Real Madrid turn it around incredibly, from 0-2 down at half to 3-2 up in the 83rd minute. And they still aren't finished. Just 3 minutes later, an unbelievable moment of brilliance is shown. Star Brazilian winger Vinícius Júnior receives the ball deep in his own half. He unleashes a counter-attack with his fast pace.
Releasing his pace, Vinícius sprints down the field with the ball glued to his feet, taking on 3 defenders at once.
Vinícius Júnior then executes a brilliant high precision strike into the bottom right corner to seal the victory for Real Madrid now leading 4-2.
Vinícius Júnior sealed the victory for Real Madrid with that goal, but he wasn’t finished just yet. 7 Minutes later, Vinícius receives the ball after a sloppy mistake from a Dortmund defender. He then takes on Dortmund defender Waldemar Anton in a 1v1.
Vinícius gets by Anton with elegance and then he finishes it into the roof of the net to top off his excellent performance with a hat trick.
This put a cherry on top of the amazing comeback and Real Madrid won 5-2.
FC Barcelona's Demolition of Bayern München and Raphinha's Hat-Trick
A match with high expectations occurred on the same matchweek as Dortmund vs. Real Madrid, FC Barcelona vs FC Bayern München (Bayern Munich).
For years on end, Bayern Munich had been destroying FC Barcelona countless times. 8-2, 3-0, 2-0, all in favor of Bayern. But this time it was different. Barcelona had been in flying form at the start of this season, beating Spanish giants Sevilla 5-1, Demolishing Valladolid 7-0, and Villareal 5-1 for example. So let's see what happened.
Only just 40 SECONDS into the match, Barcelona began to build their attack out of the back. Fermín Lopéz plays a chipped ball to Winger Raphinha. It falls behind Bayern's Last man back, Joshua Kimmich, and Raphinha is through on goal.
Once Raphinha received the ball, the Brazilian winger sprinted down on goal, before cleverly dribbling around Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and smashing it into the back of the net.
It's 1-0 Barcelona in the first minute.
But later, in the 18th minute, Bayern Winger Serge Gnabry crosses a ball into the box, where Bayern Striker Harry Kane acrobatically finishes the cross into the back of the net. After multiple opportunities not finished by Bayern München, it's finally 1-1.
Later, in the 36th minute, Fermín López finds himself in a 2 on 1 in goal.
Lopéz chipped it over Goalkeeper Neuer to striker Robert Lewandowski, and it's now 2-1.
And then, just before halftime, winger Raphinha receives the ball and takes on defender Raphaël Guerreiro.
Raphinha beats Guerreiro by cutting inside. Upamecano attempts to defend Raphinha, but the Brazilian winger shoots through Upamecanos legs and scores brilliantly.
The winger has now scored a brace.
Bayern then created some chances, but no goals came for them. Then, in the 55th minute, Lamine Yamal recives the ball at midfield on a counter attack. The Spanish youngster then launched the ball over the defense to Raphinha.
The Brazilian winger Raphinha then received the ball on the left wing with 2 defenders chasing him down.
The winger while being pressured by 2 people barreled down towards goal. He ended up with the ball on the edge of the box and unleashed a brilliant strike into the far bottom right corner.
This was his third goal of the match, which ended up being the nail in the coffin for Bayern München. FC Barcelona achieved a dominant 4-1 win over Bayern München.
Declan Rice's free kicks vs. Real Madrid CF
On April 8th, a highly anticipated UCL Quarter final matchup occurred between Arsenal and Real Madrid. The last time Arsenal had beaten Real Madrid was in 2005. The first leg was in Arsenal's stadium, the Emirates Stadium in London. Real Madrid was mostly favored, but what happened next was incredible.
In the 56th minute, Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka was fouled outside of the box by Madrid defender David Alaba. Arsenal were awarded a free kick.
Arsenal Midfielder Declan Rice took the free kick and unleashed an absolute beauty of a strike, curling it around the wall and into the back of the net.
It was a brilliant strike, but the next goal was arguably even better.
In the 67th minute, Saka was once again fouled, but this time by Eduardo Camavinga.
Once again, Declan Rice lined up to take the free kick. He scored once again, but this time, arguably even better.
Unexpectedly, it was suddenly 2-0. And still, Arsenal weren't finished yet.
In the 74th minute, Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly passes a ball in the box centrally towards Arsenal's makeshift striker Mikel Merino.
The Spaniard Merino hit it first time perfectly into the bottom corner.
The game ended comfortably in a 3-0 win for Arsenal.
These are some of the best moments of this UEFA Champions League season. We will surely remember these for a long time.